Changes
by Copper's Mama
Summary: Snape/Hermione fic. AU. Hermione teaches herself to be an animagus, gets stuck, and someone wants her to stay stuck. Everyone's at Grimmauld Place, summer before 7th year. Full summary inside. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

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_A Snape/Hermione fic._

_..._

_Disclaimer: Nope, not J.K. Rowling, so obviously I don't own Harry Potter. Just playing with the characters for my own amusement and enjoyment ... _

_..._

_A/N: I've been bouncing back and forth between Supernatural and Harry Potter, so I'm hoping that this fic will get me back into the groove for my "Going Home" fic. _

_I absolutely love this pairing, so in all of my stories, Severus didn't die at the end of the books. _

_This is gonna be an AU story, not only because Severus is alive, but because in this, he didn't kill Dumbledore, and everyone is at Grimmauld Place for the summer. Hermione is teaching herself to become an animagus, and tries by herself when she's alone in her room, but then can't change back. Someone else doesn't want her to change back. Will definitely be a Snape/Hermione fic, but I haven't decided on the rating yet. We'll see how it goes. _

_Anywhoo, that's enough out of me, let's get on with the story, shall we? _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

The summer before their seventh year at Hogwarts, the Golden Trio was staying at Grimmauld Place. Harry had followed in his godfather's footsteps and agreed to let it remain headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, so it was pretty packed at the moment.

The downside to this, of course, was that they had virtually no privacy, and were constantly being kept out of "important" matters. Dumbledore had the Weasleys and Tonks watching out for the three of them so they didn't get into mischief. It was for this reason that Hermione had started to teach herself how to become an animagus. Once she mastered it, she planned on teaching the boys to do it so they could finally sneak away from Mrs Weasley's watchful eyes.

Hermione was getting ready for bed, running a brush through her curls while she glanced down at the fifth letter her parents had sent her, the contents begging her to come home. She had told them it wasn't safe for them if she came home, and had sent them into hiding, but they still hadn't accepted her decision and wanted her to come home and leave the wizarding world behind.

She'd sent them replies the first three times, but she didn't have the heart to keep telling them she wasn't coming home, so she stopped sending letters back, and hoped that they would finally understand.

Hermione placed her brush on top of the letter, pulling her hair back into a pony-tail. She pulled off her shirt and shrugged out of her jeans, reaching around behind her to pull off her bra before changing into her pajamas and getting into bed when she stopped. Crookshanks was purring behind her and she realized that now was a perfect time to practice changing into her animagus. She had done all the necessary research and she was confident that she could make the change successfully, she just needed the privacy.

Leaving her bra in place, she retrieved her wand from the bedside table and returned to stand in front of the mirror on her dresser. She took a couple of slow, steady breaths before raising the wand, pointing it at herself and performing the spell.

A couple of seconds passed and nothing happened, and Hermione began to wonder what she'd done wrong, but then she felt a tingling sensation run through her entire body, and then she began to sink slowly towards the ground. She forced herself to focus on the transformation, not wanting to disturb the process by getting overly excited.

Finally she was less than a foot off the ground when she stopped shrinking, her body stopped changing, and she fell forward until she was on all fours.

Her wand had clattered down to the ground somewhere, and unbeknownst to her, Crookshanks had scooped it up with his teeth and run off.

Hermione dipped her light head down to see what animal she'd become, and saw tiny, black paws on the carpeted floor of her room. She walked carefully, experimenting with the feeling of walking on four legs. When she arrived in front of the full-length mirror she halted, full of surprise. _Well, this is unexpected,_ Hermione thought. After the fiasco she'd had with the Polyjuice Potion in her second year, she would have thought the last creature she would ever again become was a cat. But there, staring back at her with honey-brown eyes exactly like her own was a small, lithe, sleek-furred, black cat. There were tiny wisps of brown in the fur above her eyes, and at the tips of her feline ears, but everything else was black. She kind of liked it.

Hermione lifted her right paw to the mirror, tapping and scratching at her own reflection. She smiled to herself, flicking her tail experimentally and finding she quite enjoyed the action.

Hermione was overjoyed that she'd completed the transformation without any problems, and while it might not have been her first choice, there were worse things than a cat to have as an animagus form,

Crookshanks sidled up beside her, sniffing her face and neck and purring deeply.

"Oh, Crooks, isn't this amazing?" Hermione asked her cat, not feeling any sounds coming out of her throat, but somehow knocking that he'd heard her.

"It sure is," Crookshanks replied, and Hermione stared at him.

"So ... you really can speak?" she asked, remembering when Crookshanks had helped Sirius in their third year.

"Yes," he replied simply, sitting casually next to her in front of the mirror.

"Wow," Hermione breathed in the mental conversation that appeared to be the only way to communicate with her cat. "This is so incredible. I have so many questions."

Crookshanks's eyes shone in a way that looked like he was smiling. "Well, we have all the time in the world."

* * *

The two cats chatted for almost an hour before he had told Hermione that he wasn't a cat at all, but an animagus like her. He'd once been a wizard.

Hermione was shocked ... she'd never considered that possibility. "What happened?"

Crookshanks stretched out with a sigh. "I screwed up a transformation, landed badly and broke my wand. I got so panicked that I couldn't change myself back, and without my wand, I couldn't prove to anyone that I was a wizard. I've been stuck as a cat for almost twelve years."

Hermione's heart went out to him and she placed her paw on top of his lighter-colored one. "Oh, I'm so sorry. If I'd known ... but I do now, so as soon as I change back, I'll fix you. You can have your life back," she promised.

Crookshanks was silent, but before Hermione could ask him what was wrong, her door opened.

Ron stuck his head in the door and Hermione sighed. For the last couple of weeks Ron had been utilizing any alone time they got to try and further their relationship. Hermione had tried to tell him nicely that she only liked him as a friend, but he never listened. That afternoon Hermione had snapped, announcing a little too loudly that she and Ron would never be an item, and that she couldn't be around him if he was going to keep trying to make a relationship out of nothing. It had been harsh, and half of the Order members had stared at her when she'd walked away, but she'd thought Ron had gotten the message.

"Hermione, are you awake?" Ron asked, glancing about the room.

Hermione sighed, annoyed, and it came out as a sort of hiss-growl. Ron's eyes dropped to the carpet, looking in confusion at the two cats propped in front of the mirror.

"Who are you?" Ron asked dumbly, blinking down at the cat.

Hermione didn't respond, nor did she attempt to change back to her normal self, wanting to avoid another confrontation with her clueless friend.

Crookshanks hissed at Ron, moving to stand in front of Hermione.

"Ah, I see Hermione's found you a friend, you stupid, mangy beast," Ron commented.

Hermione growled in annoyance, once more, feeling her claws slide out automatically. Distracted, Hermione glanced down at her paws, lifting one to her face to examine it properly. _Fascinating,_ she thought.

Ron stared at the cat's odd behavior for a moment before stepped into the room to look around properly. "Come on, Hermione, where are you? You weren't downstairs, or with Harry or Ginny. I know you're here, I just wanna talk."

No answer came, and Ron looked at the closed bathroom door. "Are you in the bath?" Ron wondered quietly, stepping towards the bathroom with a half-grin on his freckled face. Hermione felt sick at the thought that he would so willingly walk in on her naked.

"Lost, Mr Weasley?" a smooth, but fear-inspiring voice asked from the doorway.

Ron froze in his tracks while Hermione looked up at the familiar voice.

_He looks so much more dark and imposing from down here,_ Hermione contemplated. _Though, Ron's freakishly tall, and he looks like he might wet himself. _Hermione snickered at the thought, seeing the Potions Master's eyes flicker to hers briefly when she made the noise. She couldn't help wondering if he knew it was her.

Ron turned around finally and Snape returned his glare to the boy. "I was just looking for Hermione," Ron answered.

Snape sneered. "In the bath? Do you make a habit of peering in on your _friends_ while they are indisposed and unaware?"

Ron blinked, his ears turning a deep shade of red. "Well, no sir."

"I sincerely doubt that. Remove yourself from this room, Mr Weasley, before you give me any more reason to force you out myself ... I'm sure it will give me immense pleasure," Snape threatened.

Ron took a step towards the open door but paused. "Sir, I really haven't been able to find Hermione. If she's not in the bathroom, I think she might be missing. Could I just check ... just to be sure?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's feigned innocence.

Snape was equally unconvinced. Instead of answering the Weasley boy he strode past him, stopping in front of the door He raised his fist and rapped on the thick door with his knuckles. "Miss Granger?" He waited for an answer, but patience wasn't one of Snape's virtues. He knocked harder on the door. "Miss Granger, answer if you are able to."

Seconds passed without an answer, and Snape placed his hand on the doorknob.

Hermione saw him pause, saw Ron's face harden, and then the Potions Master slowly opened the door. The light was off, and instead of flicking it on, he pulled out his wand and used the light from the tip to search the room. Hermione figured that he did this in case she really was naked in there, and so he wouldn't see anything long enough to embarrass either of them.

Once he determined the coast was relatively clear, he turned on the bathroom light, revealing no Hermione Granger inside.

Snape turned around, glancing at Ron. "When did you see her last?"

Ron looked down at his feet. "Well, we had an argument this afternoon, and then she left ... I haven't seen her since."

Snape remembered the fight. He'd been in the hall when Granger had turned down his advances. He also remembered her saying that she couldn't be around him if he continued to attempt to pursue a relationship with her. _Bloody teenage drama._ "If Miss Granger has any sense at all, she's currently avoiding you. I suggest you return to your room and contemplate the possible reasons for such an act. Now."

Ron didn't have to be told twice, and scampered out of the room, cursing Snape once he was out of earshot.

Hermione considered changing back now that Ron was gone, but Snape was still standing in her room. He glanced around, taking in the items that were placed around her room. He glanced down at the two cats before looking on the dresser. After a moment he picked up the letter, reading what her parents had written.

Hermione was miffed that he was going through her things, but decided to wait until he left to change back. She didn't want to have to explain that she was now an unregistered animagus, or that she was hiding from Ron.

Snape placed the letter back on the dresser where it had been before, looking down at the cats on the floor before walking out of the room once more.

Hermione sighed in relief.

Crookshanks turned back around to look at her. "Well, that was fun," he told her.

Hermione rolled her eyes, suppressing a chuckle. "I think I've had enough _fun_ for one night. Besides, I should get you changed back into a wizard."

Crookshanks looked down while she attempted to change back, but nothing happened.

Hermione opened her eyes to see that she was still a cat. "Hmm ... that's weird," she commented, trying again. Still nothing. "Maybe I need my wand the first time," Hermione reasoned, glancing around the floor for where she'd dropped it before. She searched for a couple minutes with no luck, and was starting to worry. "Crooks, did you see where my wand went after I changed?"

The other cat was quiet.

Hermione glanced back over her shoulder. "Crookshanks?"

After a minute he finally met her eyes. "I don't want to get changed back," he told her.

Hermione was more than confused, and felt her heart rate speeding up. "What do you mean? Where's my wand?"

Crookshanks explained, "I took it. I knew that you wouldn't be able to change back without it, so I hid it. I don't want to go back to being a wizard, but I don't want to be alone anymore either. I want you to stay with me."

Hermione didn't have the slightest clue how she was going to get out of the mess she'd made.

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_End of chapter one. _

_What did you think? Like, hate ...? _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


	2. Chapter 2

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_A Snape/Hermione fic._

_Chapter Two._

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_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1._

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_A/N: I'm happy you guys liked the first chapters, thanks for the great reviews!_

_Here's the next installment. I don't know how many chapters this is going to be, but hopefully I can stick with this fandom long enough to finish the story without any long breaks. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

Hermione paced back and forth in her room, avoiding the larger "cat" and trying repeatedly to change back into her real self. It wasn't working, and was beginning to cry.

Crookshanks spoke through his mind to her, "Please don't be upset. You'll get used to it, I promise."

Hermione shook her head furiously, frustrated with the entire situation. She realized that twelve years as a cat without no one to talk to had warped the wizard's mind, and she still wanted to help him, but she didn't think she could deal with this. "I don't want to _get use to it_! I want to be a witch! I want to be a girl again!"

The cat she had trusted and loved for so long looked forlornly at her, stepping away. "I think it's best if I give you some space. You'll come around eventually ... let me know when you want to talk." And just like that, he was gone. He took off out the door, and Hermione wasn't used to her new body enough to catch up to him.

She knew it was late, but she padded across the hallway in search of Harry's room.

Her mind was racing as she fumbled along the corridor in search of her best friend. She desperately hoped he would be able to turn her back, or at least find an Order member who could. She heard voices coming from a door that was cracked open and pushed her way in, seeing Ron and Harry sitting on two beds facing each other while they talked in hushed voices.

"Harry!" she called out, but all that came out was an excited _meow_ as she tried to leap up onto the bed.

Harry scooped her up, pulling her onto his lap. "Who do we have here?" he wondered while scratching her head. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

Hermione struggled, trying to find a way to tell him who she was.

"It's just some cat Hermione found on the street or something," Ron spoke from the other bed. "As though one menace wasn't enough."

Hermione whipped her head around, shaking it furiously back and forth while glaring at Ron. It did not have the desired effect, as Harry only began chuckling. "Oh, come on, you gotta admit: that's pretty cute."

Hermione turned around in Harry's arms, stood on her back legs and gripped his chin on either side with her paws, making him look into her eyes. _Come on, Harry, it's me! You know these eyes!_ Hermione thought in silence. _Damn, I know I should have told you what I was doing in case something like this happened. I promise, if you fix this, I'll never let something like this happen again._

Harry stared down at the cat's odd behavior, happy that claws weren't currently digging into his face. The cat certainly didn't look like a stray, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was almost something familiar about the way she was looking at him.

"Harry, mate, I really am worried about Hermione. I think she may have left or something," Ron interrupted, and Harry looked away from Hermione.

"Look, we'll check around for her first thing tomorrow. If she's still nowhere to be found, then we'll sound the alarm," Harry suggested. He wasn't too worried about his friend; he just figured she was hiding from Ron ... not that he could blame her. He loved his friend, but he was a bit daft sometimes.

Hermione groaned in frustration, but was mildly comforted by the fact that they would be looking for her tomorrow. They would discover that she was gone and her wand was missing, and _someone_ would figure out that the cat that had shown up out of nowhere was actually Hermione. They had to.

* * *

Hermione followed the group of people into her room, waiting for someone to figure out what had happened. They had spent the last hour and a half searching the mini-mansion for any trace of what had happened to her, but no one had found anything yet. And unfortunately, no one had found her wand either.

Hermione knew that once they saw that all of her stuff remained, and she had not left a note telling them she had left, that they would realize she was missing. She felt herself starting to relax.

But then she broke through the crowd of people and saw what had become of her room. Her dresser drawers were open and the clothes were missing, as was the trunk that held all of her school items. All of her research on becoming an animagus. The only thing that remained was the letter from her parents sitting on her empty dresser.

Harry looked down at the letter, examining it with a sad expression.

Mrs Weasley was among the adults crammed into the room. "What does it say, Harry dear?"

Harry blinked up at them all. "It's from her parents, asking her to come home," he answered. "I think ... I think she left."

Hermione shook her head, shooting forward and clawing at his legs. It wasn't possible.

"Ow!" Harry hissed, looking down at the cat.

Mrs Weasley pulled the cat into her arms, looking at her in sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing, you look just starved. Let's get you something to eat." She left the rest of them to figure out what to do, knowing that if Hermione had left, it was because of her son.

Harry and Ron looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. Ron couldn't comprehend why Hermione would want to leave, and Harry couldn't believe she would leave without at least telling him. She wasn't the running away type.

"What are we gonna do?" Ron asked him. "Go after her?"

Harry shook his head. "None of us know where her parents are ... that was the point of her sending them into hiding."

"So, she's just gone?"

Harry didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't see another alternative.

Out in the hallway, Severus Snape mulled over the fact that the Golden Trio had lost the only member of the bunch that had any semblance of a brain, and wondered how Dumbledore could have so much faith in any of them.

* * *

Hermione looked miserably at the bowl of milk in front of her, trying to figure out how Crookshanks had managed to take all of the stuff out of her room and hide it. She could barely run without tripping over herself, and he ... she nearly smacked herself in the head. _He has my wand ... he can change back by himself._ Not only did he not want to turn back into a human, he went to great limits to keep both of them as cats.

Hermione growled in frustration, smacking the side of the bowl with her paw and dumping the contents onto the floor.

"Oh, goodness!" Mrs Weasley said in surprise, rushing forward to clean up the mess.

Hermione felt bad for a moment, but was too mad about the fact that no one realized she wasn't a stray cat.

"Now, you don't have to drink it if you don't want to, but don't you go making a mess every time I try to get you something to eat," Mrs Weasley told her. "There are limits to my patience and hospitality." Hermione caught the warning, and realized that if everyone at Grimmauld Place thought she was a stray, they had no reason to keep her around. She would be stuck as a cat forever if they kicked her out of the house. Trying to do what she figured a cat would to get people to like them, she tentatively moved forward and sniffed Mrs Weasley's hand, poking her pink tongue out and licking a couple of times. The action didn't feel as disgusting as she'd thought it would.

The older woman's face softened, and Hermione relaxed, trotting out of the kitchen and trying to think of something pro-active to do.

_I need to get my wand back,_ Hermione reasoned. _If Crookshanks can turn back with my wand after all these years, it should be no problem for me. I just need to find out where he's hidden it._ She left the kitchen and made her way back up the stairs to her room. The door had thankfully been left open, and she stepped inside carefully. Crookshanks was nowhere to be seen, so she began to inspect the room. She didn't think that much time had passed between her transformation, and when he had come to see her by the mirror, so he couldn't have gotten far with her wand. _But_, Hermione reasoned,_ he might have hidden it somewhere else last night when I was asleep in Harry's room. If he hid it while he was out of his animagus form, he could have put it in any number of places that I can't reach ..._

She tried not to let herself become defeated, but the task ahead of her was daunting.

She searched everywhere she could find: under the bed, in the bathroom (getting back out of the tub had not been a fun experience), in the closet ... she even batted at her curtains for a while, half-convinced he'd tucked them away somewhere. Hermione resigned herself to the fact that wherever her wand was, it wasn't in her room. She would have to search the entire manor, and that could take weeks ... probably even more.

A shadow fell across the bed she had jumped up onto to rest, and she looked over at the door to see Snape standing in the doorway, blocking the light from the hall.

Hermione rose to her feet - all four of them - and stared at the Potions Master / spy for the Order. He looked steadily at her but didn't say a word, and she cocked her head to the side, gazing back at him. She wished that she knew Legilimency so she could tell him what was going on ... she wished she could somehow tell him to use it on her.

Finally Snape stepped into the room, glancing around before settling his gaze on her. "So, Miss Granger went and plucked you off the street, and then left you here for us to deal with?"

Hermione's eyes widened but she forced herself not to make any sudden movements ... she didn't want to do anything to upset anyone in the house for fear that they would throw her out.

Snape sighed, looking down at her with an expression that Hermione had never seen on him before. "Well, we can't have you loitering in some empty room." With that, he picked her up off the bed and carried her out of the room.

Hermione fidgeted but his grasp was firm - not uncomfortable, but there wasn't a lot of wiggle room. She wasn't sure where he was taking her, and could only imagine what Harry and Ron would say if they knew she was being carried by the professor they despised so.

* * *

_End of chapter two._

_Hope you guys enjoyed it, I know I loved writing it. _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


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